The first one to try was the prince of Morocco. Ile

thought that silver and lead are poor metals. It is the

casket made of precious metal that can hold the

precious picture. So he chose the gold casket. But all

he found was a picture of a skull with a message that

said, "All that glitters is not gold." The prince was

very sad and went back home. Then came the prince

of Spain. He looked at the silver casket for a long

time. On it was "He who chooses me will

get what he deserves." The prince had a very high

opinion about himself. Ile thought that he deserved

the best. Ile therefore chose the silver casket and

opened it. Inside the casket he found the picture of a

blinking fool. He was very disappointed and

offended. He immediately rode away.

Then it was Bassanio's tum. He looked at the caskets for a long time. He thought,

"Appearances are often misleading, Bad men appear good and they hide their

inner ugliness under fine clothes." So he chose the plain looking lead casket. On

opening the casket, he found the portrait of Portia inside.

Bassanio and Portia got married. There was great joy at Belmont and the newly

married couple were spending their time happily.

But soon their happiness turned into sorrow by a piece of news. A messenger

came with a letter from Antonio. The letter said, "Dear friend Bassanio, all my

ships have been lost at sea. I cannot pay the money I owe to Shylock. So I have

to pay the penalty. Dear friend, come and see me if possible. I would like to see

you once before I die." Bassanio quickly left for Venice.